Melic poetry is a kind of Lyric poetry to be sung and danced to. It was mostly composed by Aeolians and Dorians, and the best work dates from the 7th to the sth c. BC.
There were basically two kinds: the monodic and the choral.
The monodic was sung by a single voice and expressed one individual’s feelings. The principal writers of monody were Sappho, Alcaeus, and Anacreon.
The choral expressed the feelings of a group and was sung by a chorus. The main practitioners of this kind were Alcman, Stesichorus, Simonides, Pindar, and Bacchylides.
Also read: Lyric poetry; Definition, Characteristics, and Examples